Lambeth-3

July 23

Dear Friends in Christ:

We have now come to the end of the third full day of the Conference proper (as distinct from everything else we've been doing for the past two weeks). Each day concentrates on a different aspect of the ministry of bishops: Monday was "Celebrating Common Ground: the Bishop and Anglican Identity"; Tuesday was "Proclaiming the Good News: the Bishop and Evangelism"; today was ""Transforming Society: the Bishop and Social Justice" (partly to help prepare us for tomorrow's trip to London to march in support of the Millenium Development Goals). A typical day runs like this:

7:15 Eucharist (led by different Provinces or networks; today was Cuba and other Spanish-speaking churches)

8:15 Breakfast

9:15 Bible Study (done in small groups; mine includes bishops from Fiji, New Zealand, the Indian Ocean, South Africa, and the U.K.)

11:00 Indaba Groups (see below)

1:00 Lunch

2:00 Hearings, meetings, etc.

4:00 Workshops

5:45 Evening Worship

7:00 Dinner

8:15 Plenary session

As explained by the Archbishop of Capetown, "Indaba" is a Zulu word for a gathering for purposeful discussion. "It is both a process and a method of engagement as we listen to one another concerning challenges that face our community and by extension the Anglican Communion." Each of our Indaba Groups is a combination of five Bible Study groups, for a total of forty people. They are supposed to assure that some meaningful statement to the Communion emerges from the the Conference, and that every bishop's voice is heard in the process.

So far, the Indaba Groups have been the part of the Conference which seems to generate the greatest frustration--in terms of task accomplishment and time constraint, that is; they are still a wonderful place to connect with other bishops, and strengthen communion relationships. (I have gotten to know bishops from Tanzania, Wales, Ireland, England, Scotland, Jamaica, and Japan.) The same is true of our mealtimes together, by the way: this morning, I stood in line for breakfast next to the the Primate of Sudan, widely quoted yesterday harshly criticising the Episcopal Church; in a most warm and friendly manner, he invited me to come visit him in Africa.

We've got a long ways to go, and already there are strains. But there's plenty of honest discussion and genuine caring--and all tied together by worship. Consider this the fruit of your prayers, for which I am so very grateful!

God bless you,

+Barry